Thursday

Two prayer services will be held at St. Louis gas stations to thank God for lower fuel prices and to ask that they continue to drop, according to wire reports.

Darrell Alexander, Midwest co-chairman of the Pray at the Pump movement, says prayer gatherings would be held at a Mobil station west of downtown St. Louis. Participants planed to buy gas, pray and then sing "We Shall Overcome" with a new verse, "We'll have lower gas prices."

Rocky Twyman, an activist from the Washington, D.C., area, started the effort, saying if politicians couldn't lower gas prices, it was time to ask God to intervene, according to reports.

The group thinks the prayer is helping, saying prices are starting to fall below $4 a gallon.

Body of Brazilian priest found at sea

The body of a Brazilian priest who floated out over the ocean suspended by hundreds of helium-filled balloons has been found off the coast of Brazil, according to wire reports.

The body of Father Adelir Antonio de Carli was found by a tugboat three months after he disappeared while flying a contraption buoyed by balloons over the Atlantic Ocean in a fundraising effort.

The priest disappeared April 20 after he called friends from his mobile phone to say he was about to crash into the ocean. He staged the flight to help raise money for a chapel for truckers in his parish.

Survey Says

The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life surveyed more than 35,000 Americans in order to comprehensively examine the country’s religious landscape.

It found the connection between religious intensity and political attitudes appears to be especially strong when it comes to issues such as abortion and homosexuality. About 6-in-10 Americans who attend religious services at least once a week say abortion should be illegal in most or all cases, while only about 3-in-10 who attend less often share this view.

Books on prayer often focus on why we should pray and how to do it correctly. DeStefano offers readers a refreshing look at this evergreen topic by focusing on 10 prayers God "always" answers.

"Why don't people take advantage of prayers that work? One big reason is that they are so caught up in prayers that don't always work," says DeStefano.

DeStefano uses the Christian Bible as the foundation for his work, not offering quick fixes but instead expounding on the need for true repentance, right motives and genuine commitment. A careful reading shows that the author understands faith, not selfishness, is the foundation for these prayers. His cheerful style and heartfelt faith make this an optimistic look at a timeless subject.

Get to Know … Arthur Kurzweil

Arthur Kurzweil (born in 1951 in New York City) is a Jewish American author, educator, editor, writer, publisher and magician.

As a scholar-in-residence, guest speaker and author, Kurzweil’s career has been focused on helping others to discover the Jewish tradition. During his 17-year tenure at Jason Aronson Publishers, he commissioned and published more than 650 volumes of Jewish interest.

Kurzweil's book “From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History” is considered to be a definitive introductory guide on the topic.

Kurzweil has also authored two books in the Dummies series, “Kabbalah for Dummies” and “The Torah for Dummies,” as well as “On the Road with Rabbi Steinsaltz, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy” and “My Generations: A Course in Jewish Family History,” which is commonly used as a textbook at synagogue schools in the United States.

Although the Torah and Jewish authorities specifically prohibit "supernatural magic," tricks that rely upon sleight-of-hand and misdirection are permitted. Since 2004, Kurzweil has performed a Jewish-themed magic show, "Searching for God in a Magic Shop," that combines magic tricks and illusions with a spiritual message.

The Word

Feng Shui: A belief, originating in Taoism, that structures and objects need to be properly aligned in order to promote health and functioning. -- Religioustolerance.org

Religion Around the World

Religious makeup of Honduras

Roman Catholic: 97 percent

Protestant: 3 percent

- CIA Factbook

GateHouse News Service

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